Fool's World: The Emperor (ch. 12) (Patreon)

I paused, looking at the man for the briefest of seconds as I considered how to answer. I hadn't expected to see him here. Honestly, I never expected to see him again after bumping into him at the church. I kinda hoped that would be the case too, because the guy was a jerk. But, that remark caught my curiosity -- was he a fellow Master? Was this an offer to negotiate some kind of deal? A non-aggression pact? An alliance? Trade info for info?

"We're having a not-date right now, so I'll only agree if you're paying the bill," I informed him, making Rin glower at me as I took the offered seat. She grumbled a bit, but she decided on presenting a united front towards the man.

He hummed, a smile of faint amusement tugging at the edges of his lips. "Naturally. I would expect nothing less from you, you nameless dog." He remarked as the waitress walked over. She was the same one from last time, and she seemed faintly surprised to see me again.

"May I take your order?" she questioned, greeting us with a small bow. I looked at the smug prick across from me, my eyes narrowing ever so slightly. I considered it for a brief moment before coming to a swift decision.

"Dan Dan noodles. Spicy," I decided, making the waitress blanch while Rin perked up.

She nodded in agreement, "I like spicy food. I'll have the same," Rin said, completely unaware of the hell she just walked into. She would soon learn.

The man's smile didn't diminish. Almost as if he knew exactly what I had planned. "I am not one to be outdone, especially by the likes of you. I shall have the same, extra spicy."

Motherfucker. "I'll have extra spicy too," I adjusted my order and the waitress looked worried about my health while the man simply laughed lightly. It was a mocking sound with a cruel edge, otherwise, it might have sounded pleasant. The waitress looked between us, then at Rin, who nodded, confirming that she wanted the same. She offered a small bow, but as she turned away, she appeared resigned like she was walking to a funeral.

With our food ordered, I looked at the blonde-haired man. "What did you want to talk about? A guy like you wouldn't sit down and chat without a reason," I noted as Rin watched the interaction carefully. I wasn't quite sure what was going on in her head, but right now I needed to appear strong. Our alliance was too new and untested for any setbacks. I'm not sure if Rin would betray me so easily, regardless of what I was taught to expect, but best not find out the hard way.

The man across from me hummed as he considered me with a small tilt of his head, "You have something that belongs to me, mongrel." he informed me, making me tilt my head in consideration. Did I?

"I don't recall stealing anything from you," I pointed out, my tone even, but he didn't so much as blink.

"Nevertheless, you possess something that is mine by right. If you have any value for your life, you will immediately transfer Saber over to me," he informed, making my lips thin as Rin tensed. His gaze was sharp, holding a deadly edge to it as his pupils narrowed into cat-like slits.

Rin crossed her arms, "What's with that attitude? I'm upset because I didn't summon Saber too, but I'm not throwing a tantrum over it." she remarked, making his ruby red eyes shift to her.

"I refuse," I rejected, causing his attention shift back to me before he could make a remark at Rin. The guy was an asshole, but at the moment, he was an asshole that could be dangerous. All signs pointed to him being a Master. Possibly that of Lancer? It didn't quite fit the puzzle, but I couldn't think of another reason why Lancer's Master would save my life.

Then it became a question of why this guy wanted to save me.

"Oh? Are you so eager to die by my hand?" he asked, not sounding surprised in the slightest.

To that, I shrugged, "I'm not so attached to my life that I'm unwilling to part with it for the right reason." I dismissed with a shake of my head, "And so far, you haven't given me a reason. All you've done is make a demand, and you can shove it right up your ass."

Surprisingly, almost shockingly, that got a bark of laughter from him. His red eyes seemed to light up with amusement and delight even as they narrowed into a mocking glare, "I'm not accustomed to being talked to that way, mongrel. I shall let your words slide for your ignorance of who I am, but I shall not be so forgiving a second time."

Rin spoke up, "As a magus, you can't expect something for nothing. Your abilities at negotiation are appalling -- if you desire Saber, then surely you have something that would be worth the most powerful Servant in the Grail War?" Rin questioned, and I realized she was fishing for information -- trying to see what he had to offer. To reveal what he had to take.

"I offer nothing," he responded flippantly, his gaze sliding to Rin. His gaze was decidedly less friendly. It seems that he didn't find backtalk as amusing the second time. "This world and all of its treasures belong to me. So said the gods. Saber is one of said treasures -- I have decided that she will have the honor of being my woman."

And, just like that, I really didn't like this guy. He already rubbed me the wrong way, but I could tolerate him. Sorta. Now? Now, I wanted to stomp on his head until it cracked open.

There was a lengthy beat of silence as the waitress delivered our food. If she sensed the tension at the table, she didn't remark on it. Once again I had a plate of Dan Dan noodles in front of me, and this time the food seemed so spicy that the air was sweltering from it. The waitress bowed, walking away, and for a moment, none of us moved.

Then I reached out to the chopsticks and broke them apart, "Thank you for the meal," I said before I dug in. I grabbed a load of noodles, feeling the heat before I even took a bite, and I gulped them down as I continued to meet the Prick's gaze. I couldn't taste anything beyond the heat and pain -- almost impossibly, the noodles were hotter than they had been last time. To the point that they had no flavor.

"W-Water!" Rin rasped out, taking a bite of hers without thinking before the heat hit her. Her face flushed instantly as she banged her fist on the table to get some attention from the waitress that had just left. "Why is it so spicy?!"

I'm sorry, Rin. But it was worth it because the Prick scooped up some of his own noodles and are them -- and, very tellingly, he froze. His reaction might not have been as pronounced as Rin's, who gulped down the milk that the waitress provided instead of her requested water, but it was still there. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, and he eyed the noodles like a venomous snake for a moment, then his gaze met mine.

I took another bite, chewed, then swallowed.

"You said that the gods decided everything was yours -- care to explain that?" I asked him, pointedly continuing to eat despite the fact I'd rather fight another twenty men than do so. It was far less painful. The Prick's eyes narrowed into a glare, knowing I was taunting him, but his dumbass pride forced him to keep pace. All the while, next to me, Rin was probably dying. At least that's what it sounded like.

"It is as I said, mongrel. The gods decided I shall inherit the Earth. A short-sighted decision on their part born of their own desires, but fact remains fact," he responded, his voice tightly controlled, but I could hear the pain in it he was trying to hide. "Your attempts to cuck me of what is mine are laughable."

I chewed on a mouthful of noodles and I think I bit down on a pepper because even more heat exploded on my mouth. I breathed harshly through my nose, and it was an honest surprise that I wasn't breathing fire. "Saber isn't a thing for me to give away," I remarked, and he looked at me as if he couldn't disagree more. As if I was trying to convince him that up was down and down was up, or that the Earth was flat -- something objectively false. "You can fuck right off with the bullshit that Servants are just familiars. They might not be human, but that's not an excuse to treat them like they're subhuman."

The unseen Servants at the table offered no opinion on the matter. Rin shifted in her seat, either because of the heat or because my words applied to her more than either of us cared to admit. However, the man simply smirked at that.

"I care not for your worthless opinion on the matter, fool, but you misunderstand. It is an honor that I am bequeathing onto Saber and it is your privilege to grant me what I desire," he clarified and the sheer unrestrained arrogance of his words was like a slap in the face. Because he believed it. Every word. As far as he was concerned, Saber was his and I should be happy to give her to him. That was just… insane.

How in the fuck did this guy even function? "So, you claim to have gods-given right to everything." I pointed out, trying to get a grasp on where he was coming from just so I could understand what was going on in his head. In response, he cocked an eyebrow, as if I were staying the obvious. That didn't quite line up with a Master.

And I didn't think he was the Master of Lancer. In that case, he would be making the argument that he had saved my life to justify me handing Saber over. It would be a better argument because in that case, I was paying him back for a favor owed. Not that I would anyway.

"But I couldn't care less what the gods, or God, or whatever, decides," I told him, my voice even. "Your gods-given rights are worthless to me. I don't care what they gave you." I told him bluntly, taking another bite of my noodles to punctuate my point. I watched his reaction carefully, curious to how he would respond. Sweat had started to drip down his forehead and his face was flushed, but I wasn't any better in that regard. My entire mouth was nothing but searing pain.

I expected a number of reactions from him, but instead of giving me any of them, he simply leaned back into his chair as he looked down at his plate thoughtfully. "The Age of the Gods truly is dead," he remarked to himself, making me frown.

Rin huffed, doing the worst out of the three of us at dealing with the spiciness of the food, "The age of… ah… gods, ended… thousands of years ago." she remarked, clutching the glass of milk like a lifeline.

I hadn't known that. But that was something telling, wasn't it?

"You're not a Master. You're a Servant," I realized, making him look up at me, his gaze flat. Distracted by his own thoughts. It made sense. It was why he talked on about the gods and what they gave him. It made the most sense if he was a Servant summoned from that era rather than someone from this one.

He said nothing in response to that and instead said, "Yet the stench of the gods clings to you so fiercely. Who are you to decry the gods when you limp to them like a beaten dog in hopes of scraps from their dinner table?" he asked me, and it was my turn to be caught flat-footed. Rin looked to me, also surprised, but I had no answers to give her.

Yet the parchment in my coat suddenly felt like it weighed a million tons. The one written in Persian script.

My non-answer was answer enough for him, "I see. You are but a fool that meddles in things far above his station," he decided with an air of disgust, nodding as if that made sense to him.

"Who are you? What class are you?" Rin questioned, asking the important questions that I doubted would be answered. But, I suppose I shouldn't have underestimated his arrogance because he looked pleased, as if he had awaited the question.

"I am Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, whose domain stretched across the universe," Gilgamesh informed. He looked to me specifically, his face gauging my reaction. I had actually read about him. A little. It was in preparation of what Heroic Spirits we would face in the Grail War. Gilgamesh was up there as the most famous heroes of old -- his peers would be Hercules, King Arthur, or Sun Wukong. Meaning, as Servants go… he was ludicrously strong.

"Hm," I hummed, taking another bite to polish off my plate. And my lack of reaction… well, I had been trying to get under his skin a little, and it worked like a charm.

Gilgamesh once more smiled a deadly smile, "Is that all? You are in the presence of a king that belongs amongst the heavens, and that is your reaction? Never before have I experienced such insolence. If you had any wits in that head of yours, you would drop to your knees and thank me for allowing you to gaze upon my glorious form."

Rin was tense. The pain in her mouth was forgotten -- she was ready for fight or flight.

"I didn't finish reading your legend," I told him, making Gilgamesh go very, very, very still.

"... For what reason?" he asked me, his tone the calm before the storm. A unique tension formed between us and it thickened by the second. When it finally broke, absolute chaos would be unleashed.

I smiled at him, "Your legend… is boring. Your entire shtick is that you're so blessed by the gods that you were incapable of failure. You were the best looking, the best fighter, the smartest, and because of it, you succeeded in everything you did. And that's boring." I summarized my thoughts on his legend, offering a small shug as if to say, 'what can you do.' "I skipped to the ending and saw that you turned out alright, but even then, you had like two failures in your life before you went back to your win streak." And based on how he acted, I'm guessing he was summoned before-

Wait. Wait one second.

Gilgamesh… if I imagined him with spiky hair, oversized golden earrings… and shaved about ten years from his face…

Gilgamesh had been in the picture that had been drawn. In the Fourth Grail War.

What in the hell was going on here?

Rin shot me a dirty look for provoking him, but she said nothing. Gilgamesh met my gaze for a long minute, an expression of surprise on his face. I kept mine off of my face, but my brain was firing off on all cylinders.

"My legend bored you?" he questioned, still stuck on that. He didn't sound angry or sad, or anything really. It sounded like he legitimately couldn't wrap his head around it

"I'm sure that it would appeal to some, but it reads like a light novel power fantasy. A cheap one. You were born special-er than everyone else, and whenever you would run into a problem, you pulled some special ability out of your ass to make the problem go away with no issue," I explained to him, not mincing my words in the slightest. "That's not for me. I prefer the legends of… Argonaut. The underdog. The kind where the hero has to fight tooth and nail for every victory, and with each one, he comes back a little stronger. Then he saves the princess or something and lives happily ever after."

Gilgamesh was starting to creep me out with how he was looking at me. It was as if he couldn't decide if he was going to flay me alive or hug me. Which was really weird.

"What insolence. Take pride in this, mongrel, never before have I suffered such blatant insults. Truly, I am at a loss for what I should do with you," he said, not sounding angry, but more… perplexed. As if he genuinely didn't know what to do with me. The tension grew by the second as I unrepentantly met his gaze.

Then he smiled. And I very much didn't like that smile.

Gilgamesh said nothing as he rose to his feet, pushing back his chair in an overly dramatic fashion. I looked up at him while he looked down, that same smile on his face. There was a light in his eye that promised terrible things that didn't need to be voiced. But, all the same, he gave his parting words. "You interest me, mongrel. Yet, you infuriate me. For providing me a modicum of amusement, I shall allow you to decide what should be done with what’s left of your corpse.”

How generous of him.

I met his gaze evenly, knowing that I had just made yet another enemy. A dangerous one at that. He was a Servant, so I was going to have to deal with him no matter what, but he had reason to be gunning for me. I could feel it. This wasn’t a matter of it just being a competition -- Gilgamesh would be coming for me because it was personal.

“Stray dogs don’t get graves,” I told him, accepting whatever would come. Either I would kill him or he would kill me, and that was that. I understood that… and so did he.

Gilgamesh chuckled as he walked away from the table. I didn’t watch him leave, but I heard the bell above the door ring as the door opened then closed. Only then did the tension in the air ease away instead of coming to a head a sudden snap of violence and chaos. Letting out a sigh that felt like it should have escaped as fire instead of air, I leaned into my chair.

“What a bastard. He didn’t pay the bill,” I muttered under my breath as I reached into my coat pocket and took out my wallet, only to pause when I set the money on the table, catching the look that Rin was giving me. There were tears in her eyes, and her face a rather murderous shade of red.

And she was smiling.

It was utterly terrifying.

"Majima, I'm a bit in the dark about this issue you have with Gilgamesh, but I have one question for you -- why was I caught in the crossfire of your pissing contest?" she asked, and there was pain in her voice. And murderous intent. Though I could have sworn I heard a faint chuckle coming from her Servant, I think my ears were playing tricks on me.

I searched for an answer that wouldn't royally piss her off. There was none. So, I settled on the unfiltered truth. "Acceptable casualty," I told her with exactly zero shame. I wanted that blonde dickhead to suffer, even if it meant I suffered alongside him. Rin was just in the blast radius -- I couldn't warn her without tipping him off.

"I see, I see," Rin said, her smile growing to deadly proportions. "In that case, I look forward to repaying you." she said and… yeah, turnabout is fair play. I resigned myself to more suffering coming my way as I stood up. Rin finished off her milk, but I don't think she swallowed it, simply holding it in her mouth to help with the pain. I felt her glaring daggers at the side of my head as I offered a bow to the waitress as we stepped out of the restaurant.

'You have company, master,' I heard Rider speak to me, directing me to what she meant. As soon as I stepped foot out of the restaurant, men began filing out of a black SUV. All of them dressed in sharp suits with a golden pin on their lapels. A clan that I didn't recognize. Six of them, all welding various weapons -- a sledgehammer, a few knives, a baseball bat, and a crowbar. 'Shall I dispatch them for you?'

They approached like a wall, people stepping out of their way as they spared glances over their shoulders, trying to see where they were headed. They were coming down the street, and I heard Rin take in a breath when she saw them. "Just how many enemies do you have?" She asked, almost sounding impressed as yet more people came to kill me.

"No idea," I said as I tucked my hands into my pockets, striding to them without fear. "Rider, Rin -- don't interfere. This is completely unrelated to the Grail War, so there's no need for you to get involved," I told them as I walked to throw down. They didn't respond, but I felt Rin's gaze settle on my back as I walked.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, catching my attention. Taking it out, I answered it with the press of a button. "Majima speaking."

"Majima, we found a Servant at Ryuudo temple," I heard Nobara inform me, catching my attention. "It's… Caster. And her Master. We need you here." She told me, but her tone was off. Distracted. Which I'm guessing was because of the Servant that she found.

What were the odds? "Alright, I'll be right there. Just have to deal with some Yakuza really quick," I told her, my tone serious. "I'll send Rider ahead of me." In response to that, Rider seemed to vanish. She was already immaterial, but I felt the connection between us grow distant, telling me that she was already on her way.

"Good. Majima…" Nobara started, only to trail off. Which was unlike her. Whatever she had been about to say, she decided against it. "I'll tell you later. Just get here quickly."

With that, the phone in my ear went dead. I snapped it shut and stowed it in my pocket as I increased my gait towards the half dozen men. My hands slid into the brass knuckles that I had picked up last night and as I neared, I spoke. "Sorry, but I don't have time to mess around."

And I just started swinging.

…

"Mikoto Majima… are you an idiot or a genius?" Touko Aozaki questioned, standing in her adorable and clueless student's personal workshop, eyeing its contents with a clinical gaze. The line between the two was thinner than most people gave it credit for. More often than not, what decided the difference was success or failure. A simple thing, really. So, it was something incredible that she witness something that by all means should have failed yet somehow succeeded in ways that shouldn't have been possible.

It was pure madness, Touko thought to herself as she gazed down upon the summoning circle before her. The arrogance Mikoto Majima must have to radically alter a basic summoning ritual. Yet, the work she gazed upon was simply brilliant despite its clumsy execution.

Touko exhaled a cloud of smoke, "Fear the untrained rookie, was it? For they don't understand what they can and can't do." Nothing better seemed to summarize her adorable student. His actions were driven by ignorance of his limitations, arrogance that he would succeed despite the odds, and despite all rhyme and reason, it had worked.

Mikoto Majima had broken the Grail summoning system in an attempt to cheat at the Grail War. How exactly, not even he knew now. But, Touko had theories as she looked upon the spines of ancient tomes. Some of which were priceless artifacts that any magus family would pay any price for. What he had lacked in talent and ability, Majima made up for in raw resources.

The summoning circle was inverted and altered. It was changed to both summon something, and to be summoned. The formula of the circle tapped directly into the Holy Grail system… But there was something missing. The Higher Grail, which would be summoned upon the completion of the war when all but one servant was dead, used the lesser Grail as a catalyst, not unlike how the Servants were summoned. Yet, the circle was designed to tap into the Higher Grail

Which made the summoning circle so astonishing.

Mikoto Majima had used something to mimic a lesser grail to tap into the Higher Grail. Or, given the events of the last war, it was possible that he got his hands on a piece of the Higher Grail itself. Possibly to have his wish granted before the Grail War, or possibly even to steal the wish from the true victor at the end of the war. It was honestly amazing what a talentless idiot could accomplish without knowing better.

"Which begs the question, why did you lose your memories?" Touko asked herself, walking through her students' workshop. She made note of various artifacts that she would be helping herself to -- her help came with a cost, after all. Just as success came with a cost. She had researched the Holy Grail for a few days now and all signs pointed to a single conclusion.

The Holy Grail system was broken. And Mikoto Majima had succeeded in contacting the Higher Grail.

Nobara Kugasaki had been summoned as a Servant, yet she was granted a body of flesh and blood. Her memories similarly wiped, just not completely. Enough to wipe away targeted information and the latter parts of her life provided that she didn’t die the age that she was. Mikoto Majima, who had such poor magic circuits that he could barely be considered a mage, was now supporting two Servants on top of that. One of which was the Saber Class.

Both were impossible. A Servant could not be made mortal. A mage could not create more magic circuits. Both could be called a miracle for how they defied human understanding. Yet, there were no such things as miracles. Lack of understanding compelled humanity to call what it did not understand miracles. They saw acts of divine will and thought no deeper upon it.

Magi were not human. Despite their magecraft being so intertwined with the concept of mystery, Magi were compelled to think deeper. To unravel the mystery behind the miracles. To understand how a miracle was performed until the miracle was no longer a miracle -- simply a process that was understood, regardless of how removed it was from logic and reality.

Such miracles would not come without a cost. One that would have to be paid. The terms were unknown to Touko, as well as who Majima had contracted for the miracles he received. However, she couldn't imagine the price was a cheap one. What had been promised in repayment?

It was a mystery… but she felt that the answers were within her grasp. That much she knew when she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Touko didn't look behind her, already knowing who stood there. "I was beginning to worry that I had overestimated you, Kirei Kotomine," she spoke, running a finger down the spine of an ancient book. One that she had bid on in an auction several years ago. Her student had been the one that beat her with a bid of three billion yen.

Touko heard a chuckle behind her, "And I you, Touko Aozaki." Came a deep manly voice with a hint of a charming edge to it. Touko turned around to face the priest, finding what might have been a handsome man if it wasn't for his rotten eyes. He was dressed in a priest's garb, complete with a purple cloth draped over his shoulders and a heavy gold cross dangling from his neck. "I despaired at the thought that you would be so easy to find after eluding the Mage Association and Holy Church for so many years."

She offered a thin smile, smoke lazily drifting up from her cigarette. It was mostly gone now. Meaning that Kirei had five minutes to prepare this trap that she had willingly walked into. "I had to lure you from your duties as Overseer somehow," she responded, stubbing out the cigarette on a table.

Kotomine didn't bat an eye, "For what cause, I wonder?" he asked, though he knew the answer. He was drawing this out. Further preparations? No, if that was the case, then he wouldn't have announced his presence. Kirei Kotomine had worked for the church since he was ten years old. He was an old killer at this point.

"To ask you why the Holy Grail was never cleansed," she asked pointedly, voicing her findings. She had pulled some strings and followed leads, not so much as sleeping since she discovered that muck in the Holy Grail. That picture that looked like it was a scene right out of hell. A place she had been intimately acquainted with. "You cast the blame at Kiritsugu's feet through all the official channels. No inquiry into the Holy Grail was ever made. It was never fixed. You knew this and you chose to do nothing. Why?"

He offered nothing at the accusation, appearing unsurprised that she had discovered the truth. "Because the Grail is not broken," he stated simply. "It functions as intended -- to grant the wish of whoever proves worthy of it."

So that's how it was. "I see. You're insane," Touko concluded easily. It was one thing to completely disregard the lives of others -- that was to be expected in this world they lived in. However, it was a very different thing to allow the Holy Grail to remain broken because of a perceived lack of a flaw. The Grail was objectively broken. To not perceive that broken part as it was was insanity.

"I understand how one might make that conclusion, but you are mistaken. The Holy Grail has already decided on the wish that it will grant. It is that of a being whose existence is a wish for salvation," Kotomine responded, his tone jovial. He almost appeared excited as he spoke. As if he had been eagerly awaiting to speak about the subject whenever it would be revealed.

Touko knew who he spoke of, her mind making the connection instantly. "Angra Mainyu, the source of all the world's evil according to Zoroastrian religion." Who had been summoned in the Third Grail War. It fit too well to be anything less. Kotomine nodded, confirming as much. "The Holy Grail has decided to grant his wish?"

"Of course," he replied as if it were obvious. "Angra Mainyu's existence is that of a wish for salvation. The Holy Grail is but a wish-granting device. His wish was nearly granted ten years ago, but the ritual failed. I have taken actions to ensure that this time, the Third Magic is realized and Angra Mainyu is brought forth into this world -- for that is his wish."

Touko reached for her pack of cigarettes and took in a deep drag of one, taking a moment to think that over. He… wanted to allow all the world’s evil to manifest in the world. In doing so, there was no telling the amount of damage that would be done. It would be the single greatest disaster in all of human history. Billions would die.

Yet, she found herself curious despite herself. "Why?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Because I wish to see what Angra Mainyu becomes once he is born into the world," Kotomine answered. "I do not expect you to understand." he said, picking up that she didn't. There was no logic behind the decision. There was no experiment. It was stupid and reckless. Nothing would be gained.

However, she had gained an answer for one of her questions.

The who.

Mikoto Majima had contacted the Higher Grail and found Angra Mainyu. That idiot apprentice of hers made a deal with the devil. Knowing what she now knew, Touko suspected that the cost had been much greater than losing his memories.

"As relieving as it has been to finally get that off of my chest, I trust that you understand that I cannot allow you to leave this room alive?" Kotomine said, shadow keys appearing between his fingers, each producing a blade.

"Naturally," Touko responded. "I expect you don't mind if I don't allow myself to be killed without a fight?" she said, taking her cigarette out of her mouth as she activated her magic circuits with a thought.

Kirei Kotomine smiled, "I would be disappointed if you did."